EASTER FOURS FINAL

Sun (Auckland), Volume IV, Issue 956, 26 April 1930, Page 15

EASTER FOURS FINAL

EPSOM RINK’S SUCCESS Eighteen strenuous games occupying fci* long days’ bowling and then the Skip's last two bowls of the concluding head played as counters to pull the culminating honours out of the fire—this, in brief, is the story of the desperate fight by the Epsom team, comprising Kendall, Blackwell, Richmond, IT. R. George, in this season’s Easter Fours Competition, staged by the Auckland Bowling Centre and finalised C n Thursday afternoon. GEORGE V. DICK In this round, the Epsom team, although playing good bowls, commenced badly. Indeed. Dick’s Ponsonby rink looked like notching a comfortable victory. A tricky side wind blew ali day, and coupled with an extremely last green made the width extremely difficult for accurate defensive shots. On the ninth head the scores read —3 in Ponsonby’s favour, and on the eleventh 15 —6. On the two following heads. Epsom scored and the board road 15 —10. The fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth were wonderfully well contested, the score being, Ponsonby CIS and Epsom 14. The next head was burned by George, when the position was against him. On the replay, Epsom scored a timely three points, and again on the concluding heads two singletons, thus running out winners by 20 —18. GEORGE V. WRIGHTSON The defeat of Ponsonby left two teams in, and the following game was Indeed a tussle worthy of the tournament. Wicksteed, the lead of the Carlton team, was conspicuous for wonderful drawing, thus giving his skip marked advantage in the building of the heads. Elliott, who figured so prominently with Weatherilt in the recent pafrs tournament, gave an equally brilliant game in the position of number two. Wrightson was outstanding in the position of skip. This formidable opposition kept, the Epsom rink continually on the defensive, and with the tricky going it was rather wonderful that the score was kept down against it. Carlton opened its account with a singleton on the first head. The third head was much in favour of Carlton; when the skips changed over Epsom was three down and Wrightson drew two more. This was followed by a further two, S—2. Epsom scored on the three following heads and made the ®core, B—7. The eighth was a drawn

bead. Richmond trailed splendidly for two up. Wrightson then drove and

forced a bowl on to the kitty. This and the shot bowl could not be separated.

The ninth was unfortunate for Epsom. Wicksteed drew two splendid ehots. Elliott added two more. Richmond saved one and George pushed one of his opponent's bowls into another counter, 12—7.

Four shots lay in favour of Epsom on the tenth head when the skips changed over. Wrightson drew a saver, J 3 9. Wicksteed and Elliott were again prominent for excellent bowls on the next head, but Richmond drove and George saved, 15—9. Elliott again came to light admirably on the fourteenth head, when four down, by drawing the second shot to one on the kitty, 15 —10. All the members of the Carlton team were brilliant on the fifteenth. George tried to save by driving, but failed to displace. 19 —11. Most brilliant bowling characterised the members of both sides on the seventeenth head. The position was getting a little desperate for the Epsom team, and they fought hard for a good score. Kendall drew a toucher. Elliott drew it off and carried the kitty. Richmond replied by drawing the kitty again and got two out of the head. This was on a full length head and ended by Richmond driving Carlton’s shot bowl out, 21 —13. Epsom only scored another point in this game, and Wrightson’s team ran out a winner by 23—14. THE FI N AJ_ GAME Epsom having two lives, it necessitated Wrightson, with one life, playing a further game. In this, the supreme tussle of the long tournament, saw the Epsom team in better form against the stronger opposition of the opposing front, rank. Richmond played a splendid defensive game, while George was especially accurate in this most difficult portion of the game on the green. On the second head Carlton lay four lip when Richmond drove and got two of the shots out. George then trailed for a shot up. The scores read on the next heads (Epsom first): — I—l,1—1, 2 —l, 3 —l, 3 —5, 5 5, 6—5, 6— 6, 6—B, 6—lo. The next head saw Richmond trail for three near the ditch, but Wrightson was not to be denied a score. Tie drew two perfect bowls on the kitty, 6The following heads read:—6—ll, 6—12, 7—12. B—l2, 11—12'; 11—13, .11—14, 12—14. 13—14, 14—14. This brought the tussle up to the closing stages. The green had slowed down considerably with the failing light. A short length was thrown and drawing was difficult. Carlton lay two shots up the nearest about three feet from the kitty. Indeed it was one of the loosest heads played throughout the day. The two skips had plenty of room to draw the winning shots. Keyed up to the stage where the honours of the tournament lay on the decision of this head, it was no wonder that the strain sent bowls a little xvi 1 d. However. George was equal to the occasion. He drew two winning *hots and thus brought his team home to ultimate victory. THE LEADS’ WORK An analysis of the leads’ work is tnost interesting. , Wicksteed showed a clear superiority over his opponent in the first half of the game, leaving liis skip 12 shots up against his opponent's three. In the latter half the tables were turned. Kendall, came to light beautifully and gave position to his skip by 12 shots against Wicksteed’s four, thus equalising the opposition in a splendid manner in this most important position of head building. Richmond, as Epsom’s number three, most reliable and steady, both in his resting shots and his drawing. He, f'»r the third time in the Easter Fours Competition, was able to help in establishing a victory for the Epsom i htb. He played with confidence and -xva s particularly noticeable for the steadiness of the delivery of his bowls. George also has been successful in skipping a team to victory in this for the second time, his previous ' Vl n being in 1925. Wrightson is to be commended for his showing in the event, particularly Gs this was the first occasion that he 55® skipped a team in a tournament. „ ® - las certainly proved himself a ■blendid bowler. At the close of the event, Mr. S.

Coldicutt, president of the Auckland Bowling Centre, presented the winners with the handsome Easter Fours Cup, and three cheers were given to the winners and the runners-up by those who watched with the keenest interest the splendid games played during the day.

CAMBRIDGE FINALS

From Our Oxen Correspondent CAMBRIDGE, Thursday. In the final of the Cambridge bowling tournament, Papatoetoe (Bryant, McCullough, Sykes, Parker-Hill), 25, beat Whakatane (Baxter, Britten, Sloane, Mclntyre) 22. In the pairs, Mount Eden (Delamore and Trayes) beat New Plymouth (Speedy and Petty) 10.